My students are English Language Learners. They come from all over the city of Philadelphia, and all over the world. A dozen languages are spoken in my classroom, and English is the least common - I'm the only native speaker!
My students are diverse, but they are all dedicated to achieving academic success.
They want to leave high school college and career ready, and while the school prepares them for that through specific programs, they need the extra support that I provide in order to communicate what they know.
My Project
As a teacher of English Language Learners, I know how important literacy is to student success in high school and beyond. When I was a student, the best technology for teaching literacy was the book. Technology, however, advances, and so must teachers. iPads, like the ones I'm requesting, are a technology that is easy for students to use - most of my students are as good on a touchscreen as I am on a keyboard! With iPads, students can not only read and respond to a variety of digital texts, they can also use apps to complete projects that demonstrate their understanding of what they read in more exciting ways than just paper and pencil essays.
With technology as the hook, students engage with literacy in ways that are more authentic to their experiences now and will continue to be meaningful to them throughout their lives.
Not that I think that books are going anywhere. I will definitely continue to use paper books in my classes, but why stop with one medium when I can use multiple media to reach my students. The best way to get students excited about literacy is to make it digital. Technology is what holds students' attention now, better than even the most innovative lessons.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. McShane and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
